Date Night!

We decided to take a last-minute trip down to Seth's parents' house over Memorial Day weekend.  By 10:00 that Saturday morning, we were all tired of being cooped up in the house, but it was too hot to do anything fun outside.  A few calls were made, bags were packed, and away we went!

Seth also decided that we needed a quick overnight date while we were visiting, so we booked a room near the Riverwalk in San Antonio.  The location was perfect - just two blocks away from the action, and a direct path to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. 

It was the first time we've been away together since Charlotte was born, but now that she's 9 months old, I think it's time to start doing those sorts of things.  It was great to spend some time together, and we got to sleep in until 7:00 the next morning!

ready for date night!

my sweet, sweet hubby

love, love, love the riverwalk!

More Family Vacation Pictures

her first time at the beach in two years - can you tell she's impressed?

between the wind, cold water, and seaweed, she was not a fan

fueling up before our first trip to the pool

my very serious girl, checking out the situation

our little fish

to me, this look says "seriously, you're taking pictures rather than getting ready for lunch?"

who wouldn't want to eat that little face?  totally adorbs

chowing down on fresh seafood at Snoopy's

my child will break into a dance any time, anywhere

"put me dowwwwwnnnnn!"

we hung out in the shade while everyone else went fishing

checking out the fishing scene

this was so cute to watch

fishing lessons

everyone was worn out, but it was so worth it!

Family Vacation

I've been remiss in posting pictures, and I know that I need to get it done before the big birthday bash this weekend.  I have a feeling there will be a TON of pictures to sort through...a good problem to have, right?

We went down to the Texas coast the week before Memorial Day, and had a great time.  We stayed at a family-friendly resort that was right on the ocean but had fab pools as well.  (And a swim-up bar, which I appreciated.)

Having grown up in Florida and lived near water my entire life before moving to Texas, I really missed the beach.  Seth warned me that Texas beaches aren't like ones on the East Coast, but I didn't care - we were headed for sun, sand, and waves!

trying out her princess fishing pole

she loved this thing - and probably would have slept with it if we let her

my sweet traveler - she was SO good in the car!

on the ferry to Port Aransas - Seth said that growing up, the ferry ride was when he knew he was actually at the beach

my view from the way back - we watched that Barbie of Mermadia movie about 857 times

The Mystery Box

The girls have been intrigued by a box that was delivered yesterday.  Charlotte has tried chewing on it, and Eleanor is convinced that it contains a birthday present. 

hmmm...what could it be?

The contents of this box are exciting, complicated, and represent the possibility of a new creative outlet for me.

The box contains a sewing machine.

Yep, I'm going to try my hand at sewing.  Maybe I've been watching too many Real Housewives reruns where the common catchphrase has been "Get a hobby!", but a few days ago I was dinking around on the web and came across a blog in which the author had taken up sewing.  Her finished products looked so cute that I was totally inspired to give it a try.

My earlier dalliances into the world of hobbies have not been super successful: cooking has been great, but as my skill grows, so does my waistline; shopping is fun but dear lord I need to stop; and running just didn't work out the way I wanted it to.  (It probably has something to do with the fact that you have to sweat in order to see results.  Ew.)

So now I'm declaring my new hobby to everyone.  Well, at least everyone who reads this blog.  I've signed up for a beginning sewing class at the local college, and can't wait to get crafting!  I know it's going to be challenging but I'm looking forward to it.  Hopefully in a matter of months I can be whipping up creations like these:

My Girls-Only Getaway

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to do something that happens way too rarely: I got to go on vacation!  I think the last time I really got to get away and truly relax was with my friend Sarah; we took a long weekend trip to New Orleans in October 2009, before either of us got pregnant with our second little girl.  Needless to say, I was ready for some major R&R.

Thanks to Seth's uncle, we had an amazing hookup at an oceanfront resort.  We decided not to plan every minute of the trip, but we knew we were in for a long weekend that was full of sleeping in, eating yummy seafood, and lounging in the sun.  It delivered on all counts.

My vacation buddies were Diane, an old friend from college, and Stephanie, a new Texas friend that I met through Eleanor (her best buddy is Stephanie's son, and we think they might get married one day).  It should go without saying that I missed my family while I was back East, but let's be honest - it was amazing to have some girl time.

the fab welcome basket that was waiting for us

the even more fab case of beer that was waiting in our fridge

the view from one of our balconies (yep - we had multiple ones!)

our view of the pool and fire pit area

this picture is now the wallpaper on my computer

me + beach = happiness (and a desperate need for lots of sunscreen)

at the world's least-fussy winery, as evidenced by the mason jars-turned-wine glasses

one of the many delicious meals we enjoyed, supplemented by a bucket of wine (not pictured: a real-life Big Love type of family sighting)

sunset on our last night in town

Hair Makeovers

Up until now, our experiences with toddler haircuts have either been DIY affairs (not pretty) or involve me dragging Eleanor out of the kids' salon after lots of tears, screams, and gagging (even less pretty).  As you can tell from the Easter pictures, her hair was getting really long - her bangs were in her eyes a la a scruffy dog.  She won't let us do more than brush her hair each morning, so pulling it up is out of the question. 

I made the decision that she was going to get a decent amount of hair cut off for both ease and the sake of coolness.  She decided she would allow her hair to get cut if there was the promise of new Barbies afterwards.  I don't know where she picked up such good negotiation skills, but it worked...we made it out of the salon with no tears, a lot less hair, and a few new Barbies in her hands.

I took one for the team and got my hair cut and colored before Eleanor did - I had to show her it was painless ;)

checking out the stylist with a wary eye

watching a Barbie movie, completely okay with everything else going on around her

the new 'do

Easter

One of the benefits of living in Texas is that we're close to family, so it's relatively easy to get together for holidays.  This year, we spent the day before Easter with Seth's sister Jenni and her family in Waco, then had our own celebration with some good friends on Easter Sunday.  The party on Saturday was packed with an Easter egg hunt, trampoline time, a bounce house, and lots of fun times with family.  Sunday was a much mellower affair, and I was excited to prepare a slightly traditional Easter meal.  I also tried my hand at making cake balls, and I think they turned out pretty well.

a girl needs to stay hydrated, right?

spending some quality lap time with Papa

my fearless child, mid-jump

she's on the move

exploring the grass

exploring the staircase with Marshall

Seth exploring the bounce house with Hunter

Easter egg hunt - she was a pro

the best family picture we could get at the end of a very long, hot day

I thought it would be a fun idea to have the kids help me make cake balls...

...what I got were the world's most serious toddlers